First time XP user- please advise

[likely]

Hello. I recently bought a new PC which will arrive in a week. It comes with XP Home which I will load myself. Since it will be the first time ever for me using XP, I figured there's no one better to seek advice from than you computer gurus. Any replies would be much appreciated, thanks in advance!

My questions:

1. Should I use Fat32 or NTSF? I'm currently using a 9x OS and have always used Fat32 partitions. The only thing I know about NTSF is from what people said a long time ago about it-- that it is for NT systems and HD's cannot be converted back to Fat once you format with it. My PC will be a stand-alone with a cable connection (no home network). Which partition should I format with? And which is faster?

2. I understand XP uses admin-controlled access to assign users, and what not. But I'm really used to the Win98 way of starting a the computer. It will also be used by my roomate, but I want him to be able to access everything also. We're just goof-offs and don't need to hide anything from one another. Therefore, what is the most pratical way to set up the access?

3. Security. I've read about all the hacks and viruses XP is prone to, but also that XP can be safer than 9x due to all the security options. So starting from a fresh install, what all should I do to protect myself? I can install any patch that is needed, just point me where.

4. Do I need to register XP? Would I miss out on any feature if I didn't? Everything I own is legit, but I never register anything. Because what if one day I sell this system to someone else, but all its components are still registered in my name? It's all redundant.

5. Last Question... My PC will have 1GB of RAM. Will XP make full use of that from the start, or do I need to adjust some cache settings beforehand?

Thanks again.

 

[fredtam]

1. NTSF
2. When you set it up it creates an admin account then you create a user account (at least one is required) as long as you do not require a password for the user account it will boot straight into windows. No "choose user".
3. When you install it just go to Microsoft.com and download and install the updates or just click live update in the programs and it will take you there.
4. You do not need to register XP. All features will be available to you. However you do need to activate it. This takes about ten seconds and sends a fingerprint of your system to Microsoft. This keeps you from putting it on multiple PCs.
5. No Xp itself will not come close to using the full gig but it is good to have.

 

[likely]

Thanks for replying.

1. Is there a particular reason NTSF is better? Will this HD ever be able to convert to a Fat system in the future?

2. IC, so there is no regular computer usage through admin acct other than manipulating its users?

3. Ok, will do that. Is the built-in firewall really necessary?

4. Fingerprint? I hope there wont be any problems if I need to reformat one day. Or put a different OS on this HD.

5. Will changing the [vcache] settings in system.ini help XP to better utilize the ram?


edit: Any further info is much appreciated. I have been stuck in the past and haven't done an upgrading since the Celeron 300A to 450Mhz and P3 days. Now that I've finally afforded a new system, everyone's using XP and I'm left in the dust.

 

[BlueWeasel]

(1) There are those that say FAT32 is very slightly faster than NTFS because of the overhead that NTFS has (extra security, etc.), but you'll never know the difference. For a system like yours (home use, no LAN), either way you go, you'll be just fine. However, if it were my system, I'd just go with NTFS.

(2) See Fredtam's response

(3) As far as security goes, the MS Update site is the place for all the patches and updates you need. I'd certainly recommend a good Anti-virus software and possibly a Firewall, depending on your usage.

(4) See Fredtam's response

(5) You'll probably not use the full 1gb of RAM unless you do alot of Photoshop, video editing, etc., but it's great for gaming. Buying the extra RAM was certainly not a waste of money and a good choice.

Enjoy your new system and welcome to AT!

 

[fredtam]

1. "There is one situation in which you might want to choose FAT or FAT32 as your file system. If it is necessary to have a computer that will sometimes run an earlier version of Windows and other times run Windows XP, you will need to have a FAT or FAT32 partition as the primary (or startup) partition on the hard disk. Most earlier versions of Windows cannot access a partition if it uses the latest version of NTFS. The two exceptions are Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later. Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later has access to partitions with the latest version of NTFS, but with some limitations: It cannot access files that have been stored using NTFS features that did not exist when Windows NT 4.0 was released."
You cannot convert from NTFS file system back to FAT without reformatting.

2. Correct

3.The built in firewall only provides limited protection from incoming trojan horses, viruses etc. You should consider an additional antivirus/ firewall solution as BlueWeasel suggested. I reccomend Norton Internet Security which can be had for around $15. Some people will say its bloated but it has never let anything through. There are smaller AV/FW programs out there like Zonealarm which is very popular.

4.You won't have any problems. It sens a list "fingerprint" of ten components on your PC. As long as you don't chang 4 or more of those components in a 120 day period activation will be automatic. If you change four or more components you will have to call and get a new key.

5.XP will utilise the ram just fine. It just doesn't require that much ram to run XP itself but as BlueWeasel pointed out you will be glad to have it when you add photoshop or games to the mix.

 

[likely]

Yes! Those are exactly the answers I needed. Thanks and now just a couple more and this camper will be happy

- So it is possible to convert NTSF back to Fat in the future through fdisk right?

-and, I guess MS wont allow you to put XP on two computers even if you own them both? It just doesnt seem right.

 

[BlueWeasel]

So it is possible to convert NTSF back to Fat in the future through fdisk right?

FDISK is not a conversion utility. It's used to create and delete partitions on your drive. You would have to delete the partition completely and setup a new one formatted using FAT32. If it's your C:\, then this means completely reinstalling WinXP, applications, drivers -- EVERYTHING.

Fredtam made a good point -- if there is a small possibility of you ever going back to the Win9x family (Win98, WinME), then you want to stick with FAT32. However, like most of us, once you get a taste of W2K/XP, Win98 will be a thing of the past.

If you are concerned about it, consider just making all the partitions initially as FAT32, and convert over to NTFS after you have had time to "play" around with it.

 

[likely]

Right, by saying convert I mean deleting it and formatting it with a new file system. I guess im the converter

You mentioned "if it's my C:/" ....So I suppose you can have one partition as NTSF while another is Fat32 in XP. But I was told you can't transfer files between the two systems? Did I learn this wrong?

 

[BlueWeasel]

My bad...I thought you meant trying to convert from NTFS to FAT32 on the fly...

You can format individual partitions using either system, and you can transfer between with no problems.

 

[Vertigo-1]

About XP requiring a new key after 4 hardware changes...does that include randomly installed stuff through USB ports? It'd kinda suck if it does...

 

[Confused]

Originally posted by: Vertigo-1
About XP requiring a new key after 4 hardware changes...does that include randomly installed stuff through USB ports? It'd kinda suck if it does...

It is for "major" changes to hardware (some/all/not necessairly any of thes):
Motherboard
Processor
Memory
Graphics card
Network card
Hard drive



Confused